


Justice League International: Brave New World

by Blue_Gold20



Series: Brave New World AU [1]
Category: Justice League - All Media Types, Justice League International (Comics), justice league international
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe, And enjoy the ride, Angst, BECAUSE HE DESERVES TO LIVE DANGIT, Character Death, Humor, Multi, NOT TED KORDS, Slow Burn, Violence, but not too much Angst, its all fun and games until shit starts going down, so buckle up everybody, so don’t worry, starring the BEST justice league, super heroics
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-25
Updated: 2020-03-18
Packaged: 2021-02-28 05:14:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,362
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22898599
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Blue_Gold20/pseuds/Blue_Gold20
Summary: The original Justice League has disbanded, leaving the world defenseless from the vast number of insidious threats who seek to harm it. Seeking to fill this monumental void, Maxwell Lord has convinced the UN to back the creation of a new team of heroic champions who will serve as the heroic paragons of the age........ but instead they had to settle for this bunch. Struggling to live up to the legacy of their predecessors, can this group of misfits and oddballs step up and save the world when they can barely survive each other?
Relationships: Beatriz da Costa & Tora Olafsdotter, Beatriz da Costa/Tora Olafsdotter, Big Barda/Scott Free, Michael Carter & Ted Kord, Michael Carter/Ted Kord
Series: Brave New World AU [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1721332
Kudos: 8





	1. Prologue: On The Horizon

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, and welcome, one and all, to Brave New World! First Thing: yes, this a VERY alternate universe, so be sure to keep that in mind. Secondly: this is definitely a bit of a long fic, so stay patient for updates! So without further ado, Enjoy! :)

It was honestly a bit of a shock to Max that he had gotten this far without needing to get into a debate with the bureaucrats on this. He knew he had called in every single favor he had with as many people he could think of- which were a lot, being one of the richest and most influential businessmen in the world had its advantages, after all- but even then he had been surprised that the only people that he had had to fully convince were the ones at the very top of the food chain, the ones who had the absolute final say that could make or break his groundbreaking proposal: the United Nations Security Council themselves. 

Luckily, he was very, VERY good at persuading people to agree with him. It was a natural talent, and certainly what helped get him to where he was today. 

“Alright,” he murmured to himself, adjusting his jacket one more time and steadying his nerves. “Showtime.” And with that, he stepped through the doors and into the meeting room that resembled the many board rooms where Max had won scores of corporate battles in the past, meeting the intense, scrutinizing gazes of each UN Security Council member as he saw them all face to face, taking his seat opposite from where they were seated at the large conference table. 

“Esteemed ladies and gentlemen of the Security Council,” Max said, his voice instantly taking on the confident, smooth tone of an experienced used car salesman that could talk one into buying any run-down rust heap he presented to them. “I’m very grateful that all of you agreed to hear my proposal in per-“

“You can cease your flattery, Mr. Lord,” the Chinese representative interrupted, “Neither myself nor my colleagues are interested in it. The only thing we want to hear is why you are making this proposal, and why we should even consider it in the first place.”

Well, so much for buttering them up. 

Not that that would deter him or hinder his argument, after all. 

“Right to the point, then! Excellent. Honestly, I can really respect people who prefer just getting down to business instead of just-” Max started, faltering after a brief glare from the Chinese representative that reminded him to cut it out and get on with it already. “Well, anyways,” he continued, “As I think we all know, one of the greatest potential threats to world security that has emerged in the past 8 years, and shows no sign of going away, is the growing community of meta humans.” After this he paused for a moment, scanning the faces of the men and women in front of him to gauge their reactions to his proclamation. All of them were nodding slightly, agreeing with what he was saying so far. 

“Now, thankfully, for almost as many years, we’ve had the Justice League of America on the scene to help contain and deal with many of the more dangerous and violent meta humans, as well as the concerning number of malicious extraterrestrial incursions that have occurred over the years.” Once again, Max observed the five representatives nodding their heads in agreement. Good. 

“But, as you’ve no doubt heard- hell, every one of us on the planet probably heard the news that day- the JlA is no more. They’re disbanded, and the way it looked when it was announced they’re probably staying that way.”

“So, ladies and gentlemen, I ask you this: without the Justice League of America, who’s going to protect all of us ordinary people from super-powered criminals who could tear the world in half, or from aliens who want to enslave humanity? With all respect to the militaries of your respective nations, what can they do against men and women who could shrug off bulletin and tank shells? You need a new, reliable solution, and fast, before the next planet-threatening alien menace arrives.”

“And I suppose that you happen to have one?” The French representative chimed in, his voice now subtly tainted with concern no doubt brought on by the points being raised. As if waiting for such a question, Max’s grin only grew wider. They might actually buy into this after all. 

“Of course! Why else do you think I’m here?” He replied, his enthusiasm showing ever more with each syllable. “What you- and all of the world, really- need is a Justice League of your own. One made up of brave, beloved super heroes from across the planet who will defend us all from dangerous threats both from this world and beyond. And- most importantly- one that ultimately answers to the UN and would act with its approval. Easier to avoid any nasty international incidents, right?”

A seemingly endless silence followed. Then, the American representative spoke, “...interesting. And how do you imagine we could afford to fund such an ambitious endeavor?”

Whew. Max had been worried for a second that she would ask an actually difficult question. 

“Well, Ma’am, Lord Industries and its various holding companies, would be happy to provide whatever funding is needed to help make this happening. I mean, we make all that money even after donating a ton to charities, so we may as well donate it to something useful, right?” He chuckled nervously. 

The American representative leveled a suspicious gaze towards him as she answered, “How generous. And I assume that you would want some sway with how this team is structured and run in exchange?”

Although mildly startled at being called out so quickly, Max brushed it off and shrugged. “Naturally. I put a lot of thought into this, and I want to make sure if anything comes out of this, it’ll be what’s best for everyone.”

Another silence followed as the quintet of Security Council representatives exchanged glances before the French representative broke it. “Thank you for bringing forth your...interesting proposal, Mr. Lord. Please wait outside while the five of us consider it.”

“Of course. Thank you all very much for your time.” And with that, Max turned and left the room, and did the only thing he could really do now: wait and manage a multitude of business deals and corporate takeovers over the phone (making proposals to the UN or not, he was still a businessman, and that sure wouldn’t wait). He did everything he could. Now he could only hope that the seeds he had planted had taken root deep enough to grow and blossom. 

Four hours later, seconds after he had finished a particularly rough negotiation with LexCorp (which was almost been as stressful as this current endeavor- that place’s representatives were every bit as cunning and ruthless as their boss) when the door opened and one of the two security guards Max had seen when he had first came in poked her head out. 

“Mr. Lord? They’re ready for you to come back in.”

The mood of the room and its occupants had definitely changed since Max had previously set foot in it earlier. While before, the members of the Security Council had seemed to be skeptical and borderline suspicious of him (though honestly, he couldn’t blame them- he was a very rich businessman coming in and proposing ideas that could seemingly change everything- it would be insane not to have at least some doubts about him), now they looked at him with something. It took him a moment to realize what he saw in their faces. Anticipation. 

Yes. YES. 

They were actually going to accept. 

As before, the Chinese representative spoke for both herself and her fellow representatives. “After much debate among myself and my colleagues, Mr. Lord, we have agreed to authorize and approve your plans for a new, international, United Nations-backed Justice League team.”

Despite himself, a small, albeit obvious triumphant grin formed on Max’s face. He was actually going to get a chance to change the world. “I’m really grateful for this opportunity ma’am. I’m... not really sure what to say. 

“Well, there are plenty of finer details we still need to finalize and discuss,” the Chinese representative replied. “But first... tell us who exactly do you have in mind as the roster for this ‘Justice League International’?”

Max’s smile only widened as he took a seat at the table, ready to get to work. “Don’t worry, ma’am. I have only the very best and brightest in mind for this team.”

… 

And with those words, a new, monumental, exciting era of heroics had begun.


	2. Chapter One: First Meetings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Mister Terrific is a badass, The Calculator is a bit of an over-the-top loser, Maxwell Lord makes his second sales pitch in as many chapters, the title characters are finally assembled, introductions are made, connections are formed, the party gets crashed big-time, and the obligatory suspenseful cliffhanger makes an appearance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me? Finishing more than one chapter of one of my fics? More likely than you think (I know, it suprised me a whole bunch, too). Anyway, enjoy the second chapter of Brave New World! :)

_ Terrifictech Headquarters, New York City _

“Mister Holt? Max Lord’s down here in the lobby. He said he needs to talk to you.”

“Well, Jayden, I’m a little busy at the moment,” Michael Holt, better known as Mister Terrific, nonchalantly replied to his secretary over his earpiece as he leaped out of the way of another one of Calculator’s energy barrages, wincing slightly when he heard the blast shatter his seldom-used (but still kept as a formality) desk behind him. He quickly mentally directed his second-to-last T-Spheres to give him a protective hard-light barrier, as he glanced at the other remaining Sphere next to him, showing the estimated time before his little improvised virus ( _ created in only 45 seconds or so while dodging shots- a new record _ ) would worm its way into this technological hack’s suit defenses and shut him down.  _ Just 52 seconds to go. _ “Doesn’t he know I’m a little busy fighting with a super villain here?”

“He is, sir. He told me that he was fine waiting, because he said that he reckoned you would be done ‘wiping the floor with that third-rate wannabe in 5 minutes or less’.”

_ 44 seconds.  _

“Well, he definitely was right about it being less. Still, tell him that I’m-“

“You’ve got to be kidding me!” Calculator suddenly interjected. Terrific looked forward again just in time for another blast to slam into the shield, wincing as it overloaded from the power and fizzled out, followed by the damaged T-Sphere dropping to the floor. “We’re in the middle of a big fight and you’re taking a damn business call?!? BATMAN didn’t pull this kind of crap when we used to go toe to toe! What’s the matter with you?!?” the villain demanded, sounding furious. 

_ 29 seconds. _

“Apologies, Jay, gotta hold,” Terrific quickly added, then stood up to face the Calculator, raising his hands a seeming gesture of peace as he made sure he was now speaking louder. “Sorry, Kuttler, it was a bit urgent. Lots of things to manage when you’re head of one of the foremost up and coming tech companies in the world! Add being a fairly well-known super hero into the mix and...” he shrugged offhandedly. “Hard to balance all of that out, you know?”

_ 11 seconds.  _

“Don’t try to justify your poor life management skills to me!” Noah Kuttler, aka the Calculator sneered with contempt. “On the other hand, though... looks like it won’t matter shortly anyway!” he proclaimed, his voice suddenly layered with an exuberant amount of triumphant smugness. “Looks like your pathetic tech can’t save you now! Prepare to face your doom!” He let out a surprisingly decent maniacal laugh as he dramatically raised his hands, gauntlets glowing with blazing crimson energy as he prepared to do away with Terrific once and for all.. 

_ Great. He’s one of THOSE over-the-top theatrical supervillains. Why can’t I fight any bad guys that take this seriously? _

_ 3... 2... 1... 0 _

“DIIIIEEEEEE- wait. Wha- why aren’t you getting blasted?” The Calculator questioned, glancing down in confusion at his now nonfunctional gauntlets as nothing happened, unaware that his opponent’s makeshift tech virus had finally made its way into his suit and had quickly shut down the majority of its functions. “Stupid battle suit! Come on, work, blast it! Or I’m gonna-“

The Calculator never got the chance to express exactly what he was going to inflict on his armor, because as he had begun to make threats towards the non-sentient technology, Mr. Terrific had seized his opportunity, dashing forward and slamming his foe with a powerful (at least, powerful for someone without any meta-abilities enhancing their strength) left hook that dropped him to the floor like a crashing meteor. As Calculator looked up, he could see Terrific standing over him, casually cracking his knuckles as if to show off the fact that he still had far more fight left than his fallen opponent. What really caught the villain's attention, however, was the number of T-Sphere reinforcements that had just flooded into the room to flank their creator, all of which were glowing ominously as they awaited Terrific's command

“What you’re gonna do is stay right down where you are until the cops get here to cart you off to jail.” Terrific said, any levity now gone from his voice as he stared down Kuttler. “Got it?”

Unlike most of his fellow costumed criminals, Calculator was smart enough to actually know when it was time to know when to throw in the towel. And it didn’t take a remarkable ingenious intellect such as his to know that this was definitely one of those times.

“... fine.” He finally spoke resignedly. “I give up.”

  
  


Mr. Terrific smiled. “Smartest move you’ve made all day.”

  
  


____________________________________________________________________________

  
  


Fifthteen minutes later, not too long after the police had come and escorted Kuttler out, Maxwell Lord came strolling in, sporting a wide, cheerful grin on his face that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Mr. Holt!” He exclaimed joyfully, as if greeting one of his oldest friends instead of someone he barely knew. “Pleasure to see you!”

“Max Lord,” Holt answered, barely looking up from the screen he had his nose buried in. He was currently making some tweaks to the T-sphere blueprints, trying to see if he could make them a bit more resilient. Which was definitely more interesting to him then whatever a half-hearted business rival like the man in front of him had to say. “Sorry about the wait. Had to take care of a nutjob in a purple battle suit.” 

“Don’t worry, it’s fine!” Lord waved a hand towards him in a nonchalant ‘forget about it’ gesture. “I understand. You’re a superhero. Crazy maniacs in spandex try to kill you from time to time. It comes with the territory. And that was without a doubt the least amount of time I’ve had to wait to speak with one of you types, which is great.”

That last sentence caught a bit of Holt’s attention. Had he been speaking to other superpeople? Why on Earth would he be doing that? But it still didn’t intrigue him enough to ask the other man to elaborate. He had more interesting things to focus on. “Glad to hear you aren’t bothered by that, Lord, but I gotta ask: what do you want? If you’re here to try and do what your lawyers couldn’t and convince me to sell Terrifictech, forget it. Not interested.”

  
  


“Oh come on, Mr Holt! I wouldn’t do anything like that!” Amazing. The man actually sounded offended. Holt was mildly impressed. “No, what I wanted to talk to you about doesn’t really have anything to do with that side of you. I’m here to discuss some opportunities available for your alter-ego.”

Well. THAT was attention-grabbing enough. Holt looked up from the screen and finally turned his full focus on Lord. He could see a triumphant gleam shining in the other man’s eyes that meant that Lord could tell that he had won, but he didn’t particularly care too much. He was ready to listen.

“Alright, Max. What kind of ‘opportunity’ are we talking about?”

And, with an even wider grin, Max told him what he had had in mind.

For the first time in quite a while, Michael Holt was briefly at a loss for words. Then, after a minute, he spoke.

“And this is happening for sure?”

“Yep.”

“You actually got the United Nations to sign off on this?”

“They gave their full approval two weeks ago.”

“Got a team already yet?”

“Just about. Only one left to convince is you. Might as well save best for last, right?”

“Flattered. Sounds like it could be fun. What’s the catch though?”

“Well… we’d like you to lead the team.”

“ … “

“So what do you say, pal? Want to lead the Justice League to new heights of glory and heroism?”

“... wow. You need a leader that bad, huh? Who was your first choice? Superman?”

“ You know there’s no way we could get them to join. Honestly? You’re the first pick.”

For the second time that day, Holt was speechless. “Why’s that?”   
  


“Well, I mean, I’d like having a leader that’s intelligent enough to see all the angles. To make all the right calls, even if no one else agrees with them. And, well, to tell you the truth,” Max lowered his voice to a fax-whisper, as if there was someone else besides the two of them in the room.  _ Jeez. And here Holt had been thinking that CALCULATOR had been overly dramatic. Max could’ve been a pretty decent super-villain. All he needed were tights and some odd power.  _ “Honestly, the people I’ve recruited definitely have potential, but… most of them don’t have a whole lot of experience in the capes business, and none are really ideal candidates for leadership. You fit both requirements quite well, in my opinion. And besides! You could be the head of the freaking JUSTICE LEAGUE for crying out loud! Where on Earth is the logic in you turning that down?!? What do you say?”

Holt allowed a small smirk. “Well, when you put it that way…”

“So you’re in?” Max inquired a little over-eagerly, holding out an open hand.

There was a short pause, then Holt reached out to shake, his smirk blossoming into an excited grin. “Sure? Why not?”

Max returned Holt’s smile with one even bigger, like that of a used car salesman that, against all odds, managed to sell a rusty four-wheeled wreck to a usually competent mark. 

“That is absolutely splendid! Welcome to the Justice League, Mister Terrific!”

“Glad to join. So, when do I meet my new team?”

“Well, we’re actually planning on having the first meeting in four days in upper Manhattan over at the UN headquarters. It’ll be the usual formality junk. You know, introductions to each other, the official unveiling to the General Assembly, the works. Just like showing off one of those miraculous new inventions your company is known for!”

“Right. It’ll be  _ exactly _ like that.”

“Oh, whatever. You know what I mean. Besides that, you’ll be there?” As he said this, Max turned and started walking out, already so sure of the answer. 

Holt almost said otherwise, to throw him off and really mess with him, but his professionalism held him back, and simply threw out a “Sure. see you then.” He then immediately pulled up another screen, and began making calls and sending emails to rearrange his schedule. After all, he had just made one heck of a big commitment, and there was no way he was going to let anything get in the way of it now.

  
  


After an hour or so, he paused, and the full impact of everything he had discussed with Max Lord hit him again.

_ Holy CRAP. I’m gonna be the leader of the damn JUSTICE LEAGUE. _

_ This is gonna be GREAT. _

____________________________________________________________________________

  
  


_ United Nations Headquarters, Manhattan. Four Days Later… _

  
  


Max looked around the large commandeered conference room that would serve as the temporary meeting place of the team until permanent facilities could be accommodated, and looked upon what all his hard work had yielded. And…

… well, it was certainly  _ something _ .

The friendly, yet mostly withdrawn, fellow in the red, yellow and green tights who had initially come to Max’s attention after he had nearly single handedly dismantled most of that one international crime syndicate’s ( _ Intergang _ , he reminded himself.  _ Bit of a generic name really. You’d think an outfit whose influence spread across the world would have been able to come up with more of a snappy name than that.  _ ) operations along the East Coast in less than a month, Mister Miracle, was standing off to the side, chatting away with his diminutive, cigar-huffing business partner ( _ Who Max had most certainly NOT invited to be a part of this, but Miracle had insisted in coming along. _ ) instead of properly interacting with any of his new team-mates. The other individual who seemed to be by themselves instead of mingling with the others was the woman standing across the table from Max, who was currently giving him and everyone else a suspicious, distrustful glare from beneath her gleaming silver-and-black helm, the metallic hawk wings on her back slightly unfolding then quickly refolding, while her left hand stayed close to the sheathed golden khopesh on her belt, ready for a fight. 

While he wasn’t sure what was going on with Miracle, Max could at least understand why she was nervous. Kendra Munoz-Saunders, alias Hawkwoman, had been on the run from the rather secretive government agency known as ARGUS after the former treasure hunter had gotten her powers in Egypt over a year ago. Luckily, part of the deal she had taken was that the UN had agreed to keep the shady organization off her back, which was almost certainly a large factor in her ready agreement to be part of the Justice League. She still seemed to be rather paranoid and jumpy though, but at least she was there, and she had said to him that she was more than willing to do her part and help the team.

On a more positive note, the rest of them seemed to get along pretty well with one another. Beatriz da Costa and Tora Olafsdotter, aka Fire and Ice, had immediately started conversing ( _ apparently the two had vaguely known each other from some inferior previous attempt at an international team that had fallen through about a couple years back - small world, huh? _ ) like they were old friends, while their fearless leader himself, Mister Terrific, was casually discussing tech with Ted Kord, also known as the Blue Beetle, who seemed like he was trying not to completely freak out ( _ from either joy at being invited to be part of the soon-to-be greatest super team in the world, or nervousness at just being there, Max wasn’t quite sure _ ) while he was talking. And last but not least, Boo-

Max did a double take as he realized a now  _ very _ obvious fact.

There were supposed to be seven superheroes here.

So  _ WHY IN GOD’S NAME WAS THERE ONLY SIX!?! _

He took a deep breath, trying very hard to not visibly blow a gasket while he took out a phone to make a call.  _ He couldn’t believe that punk had blown this off! After everything had done for him and all that time spent convincing him that he needed this to make it big time and the jerk just goes and _ -

The double doors to the conference room blew open and a young man in a blue and gold with a gold star adorning his chest swaggered in with a wide smile adorning his handsome face that could’ve given Max’s own trademark grin run for its money. 

“Heya, guys! Glad to meet you all!” he proclaimed cheerfully, strolling over to the nearest available chair (which happened to be right next to where Terrific and Beetle had just paused their conversation, their attentions now focused on the new arrival) and dropping into it without a care in the world, as a small golden orb with minimal features apart from a trio of stabilizing fins and a visor on its front floated in after him. “Sorry for the delay, but I’ve never really been to the Big Apple before, and I kind of got lost. Anyway, the name’s Booster Gold, as you probably already know, and I’m looking forward to being a part of one of the all-time greatest super-teams in history!” The confidence and surety in his voice as he spoke this last part was so believable that some of the others momentarily wondered if he knew something that they didn’t. 

Blue Beetle turned to him and said “Wait, you said you’re Booster Gold, right?”

Gold’s eyes lit up behind his orange-tinted visor. “You bet! Are you a fan?”

Beetle hesitated a moment, then continued, “Sure, I guess. That was pretty cool how you stopped that assassionation attempt on the President last year. Must’ve helped get you all that good publicity you seem to have all the time, right?”

Gold opened his mouth to respond, but was then quickly cut off by Mister Terrific. “Please. He just has really good publicity because he’s an over-hyped glory hound passing himself off as a hero because he’s mainly in it for the fame.”

“I beg your pardon? I’m not the one calling himself Mister  _ Terrific _ .” Booster shot back, putting a surprising amount of venom into his words. 

“Well, unlike you, I’ve actually accomplished enough good deeds to earn a name like that. I just don’t have a glorified floating camera following me around all day broadcasting it like some reality star.”

“Hey! That’s not all that Skeets does!” 

“True. But I do tend to do act as a recorder for your many acts of heroism a lot.” the Skeets-in-question piped up, causing Ted to jump a little in his chair.

“Wait, he talks?” He turned and asked Booster incredulously.

“Yeah. He’s my partner, not some mindless machine.” 

“I appreciate that Booster.”

“No prob, Skeets, my good buddy,” He replied, then turned back towards Terrific. “Sorry if you have a problem with me finding a smart way to make ends meet, but I actually am a hero, thank you very much, and if you have a problem with that, then you can just take your disdain and shov-”

“Alright, let’s all calm down now!” Max interjected, almost sprinting over to alleviate the tensions between the two heroes. “Booster, that’s definitely not how you should speak with your new team leader,” at this, Booster at least had the good sense to look mildly ashamed, then muffled a quiet “Sorry.” Max sighed, knowing that was all he was likely to get out of him, then turned towards Terrific.

“And, Micheal, just give the kid a chance here, alright? Yeah, he’s a bit… fame-driven,” Max chose to ignore an indignant “Hey” from Booster as he continued on. “But he’s got his heart in the right place, and he has some pretty nifty skills that’ll definitely come in handy for the team, ok?”

  
  


After a minute of staring long and hard at Booster, Terrific sighed. “Fine.”

“Great! See? Everything’s worked out! Now, if you excuse me, I’m gonna go get everyone together and get started, alright?” He turned around and headed for the others without waiting for a response, sighing with relief that he had averted an all-out fight. Now THAT would have been a hell of a PR disaster that he definitely didn't need. Within a few seconds, Mr. Terrific followed him without glancing back at the pair that had remained behind.

Beetle looked over and saw Booster just sitting there, looking dejected and the complete opposite of the confidant, outgoing hero he had seemed to be minutes earlier, while his robot companion hovered around him, looking almost concerned. Beetle decided to say something to try and cheer him up. After all, they were teammates now, right? And while admittedly he was fairly inexperienced with being part of a team, teammates should look out for one another, right?

“Hey,” Booster looked up, almost like he had been snapped out of a daze as he saw that Blue Beetle was actually talking to him after the argument he had just had with the guy who was in charge of them. “You doing alright?”

“Huh?” Booster started, still seeming a bit confused that someone was talking with him. “Oh, yeah. I’m fine. Sorry, I was just… thinking. A bit nervous here, you know? I mean, we’re gonna be part of this new Justice League, and… well… that Terrific guy may have been right. I’m not sure I’m really meant for the big leagues like this.”

Woah. For a moment, Ted wasn’t really sure what exactly to say. He definitely hadn’t been expecting that the other hero would open up like that. Ah, well, he had already committed to cheering this guy up. Way too late to back out now. Might as well give it his best shot.

“Don’t worry about that. You’ll make a great Justice Leaguer! I mean, there’s no way Mr. Lord would’ve put you on this team if he didn’t think you’d do fine right?”

At this, Booster seemed to perk up slightly as he listened to Ted’s words.

“Yeah! You’re right! None of us wouldn’t be here if we didn’t deserve to be here! I've got nothing to worry about! Thanks for the words of encouragement, buddy! You’re… Blue Beetle, right? The second one?” He replied, now seeming like he was back up to full confidence as he held out his hand towards Ted.

“Bingo!” Ted replied, bringing his own hand out to meet Booster’s, shaking it enthusiastically. “Though you can just call me Ted, if you want.” He smiled, glad that he seemed to have made a friend.

“Pleasure to meet you, Ted.”

“Thanks, Booster.” Ted then realized that his new buddy hadn’t actually shared his own actual name with him, and followed up with, “Say, what’s your real na-”

“Attention! If everyone could take a minute and focus up here please, we’ll begin.” Max’s voice boomed throughout the room, startling everyone out of their various discussions and turning their attention towards the head of the table where he now stood with Mister Terrific, just as he had planned. After taking a moment to ensure that everyone was now silent, he began.

“Ladies and Gentlemen, it is my pleasure to welcome you all to the inaugural meeting of the Justice League International. Great to have you bunch onboard. We’re going to do some amazing things together!”

  
  


… 

  
  
  


Meanwhile, in another part of the complex, the 193 members of the United Nations General Assembly were taking their seats, each of them eagerly anticipating whatever announcement the Security Council had thought important enough to call this special session. No one really knew for sure what would happen, though a few members with inside knowledge had been circulating the notion that it all had something to do with the ever looming potential threat of the metahuman community now that the Justice League was gone.

However, all speculations among Assembly members promptly faded as they started hearing thunderous  _ Booms _ coming from outside, which were getting closer to them. The fearful silence then turned into near outright panic as a dozen security officers burst into the room, weapons ready. 

Unfortunately, the UN security officers would prove to be completely ineffective in the ensuing situation.

Suddenly, the west wall blew open, debris flying everywhere inside the room as a massive, seven foot-tall behemoth of a man(?) smashed his way in.

To their credit, the security officers reacted immediately, opening fire on the intruder with enough bullets to supply a well-armed military squad. But each round merely bounced off the giant’s glistening, flawless lightly-tanned skin, or even just hit him and fell to the ground at his feet, harmless. After almost a full minute, he finally reacted, turning his blazing crimson eyes on the fools who would dare attempt to harm him, and unleashed two concentrated blasts of devastating heat vision, turning the unfortunate officers to ash. He then ceased his onslaught and looked out at all of his newly acquired captives. Although he had not been programmed to process emotions, he smiled a dark, sinister grin, and spoke, his voice deafening and instantly cowing all of the General Assembly members into a terrified silence.

“Greetings, pathetic weaklings, I am Amazo. All of you are now my captives. Do not move or try to attempt any meaningless acts of so-called 'heroism', and you will be spared. But know this: no one is coming to save you…” 

  
  


_ To Be Continued…  _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dun Dun Duuuuuuunnnnnnn!!! Hope you all enjoyed this chapter, because I sure had some fun writing it! Heres a few bonus notes about this AU in case you were curious:  
> 1\. To clarify, the founding roster for the JLI is: Mister Terrific, Hawkwoman, Booster Gold, Blue Beetle, Fire, Ice, and Mister Miracle  
> 2\. This version of Hawkwoman is more or less unique to this, though a few elements of her backstory and the majority of her design is based the most on her counterpart in the New 52 Earth 2 series (which I highly recommend reading, btw, it rules).  
> 3\. With the exception of Mr. Terrific, Fire, and Ice, this bunch of heroes are fairly new at their profession, and have been active for only a couple years at most.  
> 4\. This version of Mister Miracle is all by himself (not including Oberon, of course), having only escaped from Apocalypse about eight months before the story starts (which will hopefully be touched upon in a later installment).  
> 5\. This isn't the first time Amazo or, more specifically, his creator, have tangled with a Justice League, so he's more than equipped to go head-to-head with our heroes...  
> And on that semi-ominous note, I'll be taking my leave! Please be sure to leave kudos and positive comments! They help feed my creativity so I can deliver new chapters quicker! See you all then!  
> :)

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you all enjoyed the first installment of Brave New World! Looking forward to writing more of this series, and can’t wait to introduce the so-called “best and brightest” future members of the League! Feel free to comment below! Stay tuned, and feel free to comment below! It gives me energy to continue writing! See you all next time! :)


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